Needle case & notions bag

So as you probably know, I’ve been sewing for a good number of years now. But this, this humble needle case, might be my favourite thing I’ve ever made. Is it the soothing colours? Is it the gold geometric pattern? Is it the calming sense of being organised? I don’t know. Actually I do, it’s all of those things, plus the fact that it turned out so well! 

I’ve been wanting a needle case for ages and ages – until now, my knitting needles have resided all over the house in inconvenient locations, and usually without their mates. If I do manage to find two of the same needle, forget about being able to locate my size gauge. And as for wool needles? Don’t even ask.

But no more.

This is actually my second attempt at making a needle case. My first attempt, which must have been about a year ago now, was too ambitious. It involved built-in zippered pockets, multiple layers of needle storage (including for crochet hooks) and a fully quilted back. It was quickly consigned to the bin after never really getting off the ground.

This time, I decided, simplicity would be the name of the game – and it worked. I started by cutting out the backing and the lining fabrics in one long piece, and sewing them together inside out. I flipped them right-side out and sewed a line at the top and bottom for the flap and the pocket, as you can see in the picture below. I added a strip of clear plastic to the top of the pocket so that I can add in some labels if I ever so desire – although I should probably get a proper set of matching needles before I bother doing that. 

Next I sewed the vertical separators and added in the ties, and voila. :) So easy and so pretty! I spent ages looking for the perfect fabric, and I’m so happy with my choice. The backing is a sturdy cotton duck, and the lining is just a normal-weight cotton. 

Because I had a bit of extra fabric left over, I decided to try a little experiment – I still needed a place to store my notions and DPNs, and I wanted to be able to see them all. I put together a basic zippered pouch (so basic that I sewed the zipper on upside down the first time – whoops), except one side of the pouch was clear plastic. The clear plastic means that you can see the zipper, which is a bit ugly, but I think that being able to see all the contents of the pouch more than makes up for it. 

The plastic I used is really cool – it’s the stuff that is used to cover table cloths and keep them clean, and they sell it by the metre at Spotlight. It’s really easy to sew on the machine, although it sticks a bit if it’s on the bottom. I love love love this matching set, almost as much as I love having all my knitting supplies in one place now! I’ve been toying with the idea of making a matching knitting bag… what do you think? Too much, or just enough??